Simple Balsamic Reduction

Warning:  This recipe will make your entire house smell like balsamic vinegar for a good couple of days.  I did not have a problem with this (and actually liked it, myself), but it gave my husband a headache to the point he set up box fans throughout the house and left until the smell had completely vanished.

What an introduction, right?!  I bet everyone will want to make a nice balsamic reduction now!  Oh well, you can't say I didn't warn you.

A balsamic reduction is just a fancy way to say "sweet balsamic vinegar sauce."  It's simple to make with just two ingredients (vinegar and sugar) and absolutely delicious on a number of different things.  I use a balsamic reduction on savory foods like bruschetta and chicken pasta dishes and as a sauce for desserts like chocolate cake, ice cream, fresh fruit (berries are especially nice), and cheesecake.

Thick and delicious balsamic reduction sauce

Simple Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients
1 bottle of (good) balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

Directions
- In a sauce pan over high heat (8 or 9 on a dial), pour in the entire bottle of balsamic vinegar and whisk until it begins to boil
- Once it begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium (about 4 on a dial) and whisk in sugar
   Note:  As I mentioned above, the sugar is to taste.  I personally like a full 3 tablespoons in mine, but I've come across so many reduction recipes that vary between 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, all the way up to 4 tablespoons, so try different measurements and see which amount works best for you!
- Continue whisking until the vinegar is reduced by half and becomes a thick syrup (coats the back of a spoon)
- Once it reduces by half, turn off the burner and let the reduction cool

Roasted Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes may take the good part of a day, but it's so worth it.  Roasted tomatoes are good on all kinds of things from salads and bruschetta to pizzas and sandwiches.  Sure, you can go to a grocery store and probably find roasted tomatoes in the deli or (heaven forbid) canned, but I promise you, roasting them yourself will not take too much effort and will make all the difference in your recipes that call for them.

This was my first attempt at roasting tomatoes.  Let me caution you against slicing the tomatoes too thin.  Thinly sliced tomatoes will burn before they roast.  The first time I made this recipe below, I failed two times before finally getting it right!

Though they look nice now, I promise you after 2 hours in the oven, they were
black and  shriveled.  This is an example of what NOT to do!  

So, back to what TO do, now that we have a visual of what NOT to do to have the best roasted tomatoes ever!


Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients
10+ Roma Tomatoes
EVOO
Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper
Optional: Herbs of your choosing
Optional:  Balsamic Vinegar

Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees F
- Lightly grease / spray with cooking spray a large cookie sheet that has a small lip (like a jelly roll pan)
- Gently wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them in half, lengthwise and place them on the pan cut-side down
- Drizzle EVOO (and balsamic vinegar should you choose to do so) generously over the tomatoes
- Using your salt and pepper grinders, crack fresh sea salt and black pepper over the tomatoes
- Finish with sprinkling the tomatoes with dried herbs
  Note: For italian dishes, I like to sprinkle dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, but you can sprinkle any kind of herbs/spices to coordinate with your recipes (chipotle seasoning, cayenne pepper, etc.)
- After you have seasoned your tomatoes to taste, pop them into the oven for about 6 to 8 hours.
  Note:  I like to check mine every hour just to make sure everything looks good.  If your tomato sizes vary, you may need to pull out the smaller ones around 6 hours.  Once you pull the smaller tomatoes out, you can flip the larger tomatoes over to finish cooking.

Roasted Heirloom Bruschetta

First, I'd like to note that neither V. Sattui or Domaine Chandon have paid me to write this post.  I am just an absolute fan of both of these wineries, and the experiences I had at both wineries during my 2010 visit to Napa and Carnaros Valley inspire me daily to stop and enjoy good food and quality time with friends as often as possible, and (of course) include amazing wines with those events as often as I can.  Now on to the story...

Over Labor Day weekend back in 2010, I took a girl's trip to Napa Valley/San Francisco with my best friends from college.  The long weekend was filled with amazing memories of fantastic food, touring beautiful San Francisco, and tasting (drinking) our way through Napa and Carnaros Valley.

On our winery tour day, we visited many amazing wineries/vineyards, but Domaine Chandon and V. Sattui were my personal favorites.  I'll write more about Domaine Chandon later.  Today's post is heavily dedicated to V. Sattui Winery.

The Entrance to V. Sattui's Deli and Store

Side Note:  If I can ever convince my wonderful man to renew our vows in an extremely lavish (way more lavish than our actual wedding in 2007) way, I would definitely choose V. Sattui as the backdrop for our special renewal.  Also, if you are planning on touring Napa Valley anytime soon, aside from taking me with you, I suggest you make this winery your lunchtime stop because not only does this winery have an amazing selection of wines and ports, it is a fabulous picnic destination.

The picnic area at V. Sattui

V. Sattui Picnic Grounds provides a gorgeous backdrop to take in the sites and tastes of California wine country.  Pick up a bottle of their gorgeous wine, find a picnic table overlooking the vineyard, and swing by V. Sattui's Barbeque, Wood-fired Pizzas, and Mozzarella Bar for some of the most amazing, fresh food options you can imagine.  I am drooling now just thinking about the smells and sights of their outdoor food bar.

Sorry, this is supposed to be a food blog, right?  Well, I had to give you a background for today's recipe and set the stage for why I chose this particular recipe to be my very first post!  Today's recipe is Roasted Heirloom Bruschetta--a recipe I have adapted from V. Sattui's master chefs.  Yes, the provided me (via their Facebook page) the basic recipe for their bruschetta because they're awesome.

The Roasted Heirloom Bruschetta at V. Sattui

Heather's Roasted Heirloom Bruschetta
Adapted from a V. Sattui recipe

My Roasted Heirloom Bruschetta

Ingredients
Fresh Baguette from your favorite bakery or grocer
Mozzarella, fresh pulled
Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
Balsamic Reduction
EVOO (a good one)
Garlic, fresh minced
Basil, fresh chopped
Salt, Pepper, Dried Herbs to taste


Directions
- Slice baguette into small medallions (because it's easier to eat this way) and drizzle each piece with EVOO
- Place medallions on a hot grill, turning till each side is golden brown
  Note:  You can also use an indoor panini press or warm cast iron pan to grill the bread if that's easier for you.
- On each grilled piece of bread, place one or two roasted tomatoes, then one slice of fresh mozzarella, chopped fresh basil
- Drizzle EVOO and balsamic reduction sauce
- Finish with a dash of fresh cracked sea salt and cracked black pepper; you can even dust it with some dried Italian herbs like rosemary and thyme, but that's up to you!


Note:  Though this is a great meal in and of itself, my husband is definitely a meat-eater, so to make this recipe suit his carnivorous taste, I add a slice of grilled chicken to the bread before I begin layering it.  You can use any grilled chicken, but I like to slice the chicken into medallions and grill with some balsamic vinegar, salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Italian herbs.